Guide to: pottery, getting started with clay and ceramics

Getting into pottery could make for a fascinating new hobby or even a career. Qualifications are not essential, what is important is skill and technique, a sense of creativity and the patience to practice. 

 

There are loads of great resources out there to help you get started on your pottery journey, but perhaps the best (and most enjoyable) place to start is on an in-person workshop with a real-life potter.

Taster or experience courses will allow you to try hand building, throwing, sculpture, clay modelling, glazing, and firing and get a feel for what excites you most, where you feel drawn to explore your own creativity. 

 

 

Absolutely. The cost of a pottery course will vary depending on whether you are looking for a few hours’ taster course or a more in-depth weekend or weekly class. The more ‘hands on’ experience you can get, the better, the more you will learn. 

 

We have in person pottery workshops starting at £12, going up to  hundreds of pounds so the best thing is to browse the various options, check locations, read reviews and compare prices before making your choice of the hundreds of ceramics workshops available in the UK with local potters.

Absolutely. Hand building can be done from your kitchen table, and there are also plenty of good options for having your own pottery wheel. If you are a beginner, you may like to try some pottery kits from UK ceramicists but there are also lots of online pottery courses that make the craft very accessible. You may be able to find a local kiln firing service before you take the plunge and buy your very own kiln. You can also fire certain types of clay in home ovens or it can be a good option to start with polymer clay (completely kiln free) to have a play.  If you really want to get started with pottery, all you really need is a lump of clay! 

 

Types of pottery 

 

There are three main techniques you can consider trying when you first get into pottery and ceramics; 

1.     Shaping the clay into forms by hand, known as 'hand building'. Techniques here will include pinching, slab building and coiling

2.     Pottery throwing on the potters wheel; an experience most of us want to try at least once in our lives, using a wheel to throw pots is probably our most popular craft experiences. 

3.     Mold making and slip casting techniques.

Pottery tools

The good news is that most of these items can be readily found in your home!

 

Pottery can be really good fun and a relaxing way to create and also switch off, so why not browse the various pottery courses near you and get started with a fabulous new hobby.

ClayCraft is a great new magazine for pottery and ceramics enthusiasts, full of projects and technical advice - subscribe now.